Landlords - How have you decided a tenant????

Snorlaxx

Folks, I've decided to rent a room out.

I've done the viewings and now its decision time. I've wittled it down to three.

Two people have told me the best tenant to have is the one with the least personality who will just come and go and interact the least.

So I have one of those, A really interactive lad and one other lad(your average "Whats the crack" kind of lad).

whats the best way to decide here?

dartboardio

Both sound good, and when you've narrowed it down it means that any of them would be a good choice. So just flip a coin.

herbalplants

Perhaps the one with the least personality as you are not looking for a friend, you want someone who will have his own life and comes and goes.

Hard to say. They can all be very good.

Caranica

First of all they're not a tenant, they're a lodger and a licencee.

I'm on my third lodger (each one 3 years+) and I did a lot of work before I even shortlisted. Ads were email only, putting email address into social media sites and Google brought up a lot (e.g. one person who said they were single no kids actually had their children every second weekend, and another who had a drug dealing conviction).

After viewings, trust your instincts. Remember you're looking for someone to live with, not party with, not even hang out with.

Long Sean Silver

pick the one you feel you can deal with most easily. when deciding on tenants i sometimes set them a little test. ask them to something slightly awkward. eg "can you help me carry a heavy box upstairs?", or "do you mind nipping to the local shop for a carton of milk?" (you dont have to follow through with the request!)

watch their reaction. 😉

notAMember

That’s not a tenant, it’s a lodger.

whoever you get on best with.

For tenants, I look at their application letter, proof of income, check references, the usual.

sportsfan90

Not sure what the age range is, but if they're in their 20s and you're hoping to get someone in but still have the place to yourself a lot of weekends, I know that some owners try to get someone from a different county who's on sports teams. Chances are they'll be going home most weekends to play matches etc.

Field east

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120526384#Comment_120526384

Check out previous accommodation / last landlord, ;current job ref and how long there - if they are very busy and conscience in their job they probably Mind themselves re early to d early to rise, not heavy socialises; why moving accommodation?; will they supply their permanent address; do they smoke ; would they agree to pay the rent by standing order; do they agree as to how they pay for their use of electricity, gas and rubbish; . After that then what kind of a person do you want - a constant chatter or somebody as quiet as a mouse, just comes and goes or what?

As long as they pay the rent on time, don’t wreck the place, keep it clean and do’nt annoy you then you are on a winner hopefully

DownByTheGarden

My nephew is renting a room in Dublin from someone who specified that they wanted someone fro Sunday night to Friday morning.

That suited him as he went home every weekend anyway. He still pays €600 pm though.

fatbhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120525748#Comment_120525748

What? That's mental. Your's is one house to be avoided.

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120526740#Comment_120526740

Think you are missing the point, you are going to be sharing a home with them, a little flexibility on both sides helps for a happy living situation, the renter could ask some probing questions as well. If you find the questions mental, jog on.

fatbhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120526909#Comment_120526909

Carry a box, go to the shops? Yeah right. I've been house sharing, and I've been renting rooms in my house for years now. I know what's what. Putting on tests like that is mental. And that's during the interviews. Jog on.

RichardAnd

I used to play in a band with a lad who rented out a room in his house to a total lunatic. He didn't interview him properly, and it was in 2012, so he was just glad to get the rent money (500 a month for an en-suite room in Dublin...) Some of the things that happened were comedy gold, and I can't repeat them here. Suffice it to say that he eventually had to kick him out, and then the ex-tenant brought him to court to get the deposit back.

The point is that letting another person into your private home is a big decision. Be wary.

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120527101#Comment_120527101

That’s the time to do it, not much use finding that you are sharing with an inflexible renter, or owner.

fatbhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120527231#Comment_120527231

Well in this case, the subject of this thread, the "tenant" can be kicked out at anytime because they are in fact a licensee. So if I were interviewing a prospective licensee, which I've done many times, I wouldn't be asking them to go over to the shops to get me a carton of milk, or even biscuits. I'd try to judge their personality, see what their circumstances were (job, history, etc.), find out their day-to-day habits and activities, and see if that coincided with what suited me, and make the decision based on that. Then, I'd see the first 3 months as a trial run, and if I didn't like them living there I'd get them to leave, and if they didn't like living there they could leave anytime.

Long Sean Silver

i've been renting for years. i can only recall 1 idiot tenant in all that time. looking back the mistake i made was i didn't interview him correctly. he was stuck and literally begged me for the place. like a fool i felt sorry for him. within weeks he started calling me at all hours advising me about my "legal obligations" and quoting the law.

luckily it was back in the day when you could terminate a tenancy within the first 6 months and no reason was needed. i would dread to think what you could do with him now. no wonder LLs are exiting the market in droves.

trust me a little extra effort at the initial stages will help avoid much heartache. if your prospective tenant doesn't like the questions, then it's worked.

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120527579#Comment_120527579

It’s not a tenant situation though, but I do agree, if you are going to be sharing your living space with a room renter, a few questions beyond finding out if they can pay for it does increase your chances of weeding out someone who is going to be a pain. If they aren’t willing to chip in, in a way people who share a house do, like going to the shop, helping lift the odd box, best to look at someone else.

Long Sean Silver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120527665#Comment_120527665

the problem as i see it is we've become so snowflakey, so PC that people are afraid to ask telling questions. my friend's wife runs a shop and was recently interviewing a girl for a job. the girl turned up with her 4 y/old kid. no problem. she asked the interviewee "who will be looking after the kid while she's working?" the girl was so affronted at the question, and immediately went into "how dare you ask me that ..." mode. the interview was quickly terminated.

is it me or has the world gone mad?

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120527744#Comment_120527744

Your friends wife is lucky she didn’t end up in front of the WRC, there is snowfiakery, and there is stupidity.

Long Sean Silver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120527886#Comment_120527886

not my wife, but i take your point. that's how crazy things have become.

soon you will not be allowed to ask an interviewee how they intend to get to work, car, bike, train. No! No! don't tell me ......😲

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120527938#Comment_120527938

How you get to work isn’t covered by discrimination legislation, family status certainly is.

Big difference.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120527938#Comment_120527938

I agree - it's crazy. The thing is though I feel for your friend's wife. She's trying to find a suitable employee who won't let her down, who won't be ringing her at short notice saying I have noone to mind my child.. However legally she can't ask any questions about family or home life. It's very unfair to employers really - it's a relevant question re childcare but can't be asked!